photo by just.Luc (just.Censored)

This week I took the drive up to chilly Atlanta (well chilly for my Florida bones) for a marketing conference and over lunch had the privilege of talking with an entrepreneur who ran a spectacular publishing business. In his business he sold advertising sales to car dealers with distribution of a free publication that was available in gas stations and other locations throughout his territories.

His business was looking to go online and get involved with all the hype surrounding this new “social media” phenomenon.

After learning more about his business we had some ideas to start getting involved in the online conversations, grow his market share and empower both his advertisers and the people picking up his publication.

Exploit Your Passion and Expertise

The first thing we looked at was establishing them as an authority on both selling cars and how to buy cars. Through their 15+ years of business, they had heard from countless dealers on effective selling strategies, what car buyers wanted and how to create effective ads and copy to position a car to sell in their publication. Getting this information in a blog setting, or a Twitter Tip of the Day, or ever YouTube videos and interviews with successful dealers allow for a platform where they can start conversations around effective car sales strategies.

On the flip side, they also know what their audience needs to know in order to successfully buy used cars. This would help the car buyers avoid scams, bad engines and walking away feeling like they made an amazing purchase. Again, this information can come in the form of a blog, videos, pictures, a wiki or other media that allows for customers to interact, add their tips and input and share with other prospective buyers.

Having a print publication that comes out weekly or monthly is another huge advantage to this business model. Every few weeks they have a captive audience where they can tease their audience about the new posts, videos and other media. It is a great progression to get their audience more engaged in their brand while providing huge value in the process.

Look For Opportunities to Involve Your Fans and Customers

I learned that his operations did not lend to hiring content producers and social media professionals in all of their markets, so we had to maximize their staff while getting quality content that their readers and advertisers would deem as valuable. Luckily he has an audience that is passionate about their cars and probably have plenty of stories to tell.

I told him to run some ads in his paper and ask for stories from his audience. Email them in with pictures, links or videos and hold a contest to increase the response. Now he would have content that they could post throughout the year on their blog and keep the readers coming back to see if their story was published. Instant engagement through user generated content.

As you look into your offline business at the end of this year, look to see where you can engage your audience. See what you have an expert angle and then look to see how you can create passion with your fans and customers. I can guarantee there is an angle that can help your business grow and get people talking about your business!

This article was written by Greg Rollett. He writes about online marketing and lifestyle design from Orlando, FL.

Tags: Business, Marketing, Social Media, social media tools, Strategy